How to Give a Reading without Boring Your Audience to Tears

The current literary culture increasingly demands that writers also function as performers, that they engage with readers in a wide variety of ways.

How many times have you been to a reading and found it wanting? The story may be terrific, but if the author’s delivery doesn’t rise to the occasion, the audience can’t appreciate it. The upshot? Writers need to learn how to deliver their work in public, to be comfortable when they share their words.

Creative people, especially writers, are often asked to share their work publicly. Rae Dubow, Director of Talking Out Loud, has worked closely with writers at all levels. Even if you don’t have a reading or book signing in your near future, she’s compiled a Career Tool Box you don’t want to miss.

The first thing she’ll do is assess your comfort zones. To read publicly, you need to know what you want to read and how you want to read it, and she can help with both. She’ll go over your content; then, she’ll take you through a series of practice runs. At every turn, she offers focused performance feedback in a safe and secure environment, working with you to develop and put into action an effective communication strategy.

This one-day workshop is scheduled during the Manuscript Review Workshop, but it can be taken alone or added to the longer workshop.